Straight from Sicily, the Marisa Foods Italian meat recipes
derive from old-world traditions and a commitment to delivering the highest
quality ingredients. The 65-year-old company’s success is built on sibling
co-owners, Vince and Marisa Passanisi’s third-generation vision to always be
inventive. It’s a vision that is putting this Italian meat manufacturer and
delicatessen on the map with traditional formulas that collide with trending
spice profiles to meet the needs of today’s chefs.

When Vince and Marisa’s grandfather, Vincent Passanisi
immigrated to California, he was drawn to the coastal climate that mirrored his
Sicilian homeland. He opened a neighborhood Italian delicatessen called Santa
Fe Importers and it wasn’t long before word spread and he was called on to make
his popular Italian homemade sausages, meats and grated cheeses for local
restaurants and caterers. Over time, manufacturing improved and his business
expanded to help customers produce private label items.

Quality has never waned over the years. For Marisa Foods,
which still uses only the finest quality, fresh, lean pork and natural casings,
it’s cooking the way you’d cook.

“We use old family recipes and truly pride ourselves on the
quality of our ingredients. Everything is high quality; we use fresh produce,
fresh parsley, real Pecorino Romano cheese. We peel our own onions and crack
our own eggs. This is what makes us different. It’s like you would prepare food
in your own Italian kitchen,” says Vince Passanisi who adds that they
serve their products to their own families.
“We’re proud to say that, because quality matters.”

Keeping it in the
family

With their father, John Passanisi, now retired from Marisa
Foods, Vince and Marisa have kept his family values and passionate-approach to
business alive.

“He’s always been a great mentor to us and his perspective
and experience is simply invaluable,” Marisa says of her father who still
visits the business regularly.

“Vince and I have been in the business since we were very
young and we have a great relationship. We are able to separate business from
family easily,” Marisa says. “Truthfully, being reared in all aspects of the
business really helped during the leadership transition.”

New fusions

Marisa Foods grows with their customers and their needs. The
company recently acquired XLNT Foods, one of the oldest tamale and chili
producers in Southern California that began in 1894.

“It’s a little naive to think you can stay in one niche
forever. Even though our strong suit is Italian, we are meat processors with
the capacity to do other things because of the nature of our equipment. We
produce spaghetti sauce, so it was a natural transition to do chili with that
same equipment,” Vince says.

Not only does Marisa Foods reach national markets with their
products, they are also in the restaurant business. The company operates three
delicatessens in the Los Angeles area. The day-to-day bustle of running the
market allows them to put themselves in the shoes of their customers. That’s
why they know quality and consistency are crucial elements.

A customer-centric
approach

Constantly listening to their customers needs, Marisa Foods
now produces customized products, like pepperoni for a customer interested in
natural, nitrite-free pepperoni and gluten-free meatballs.

“We definitely have a customer-centric view,” Marisa says.
“Our philosophy is that without our customer, we are nothing. Jordano’s matches
the same philosophy and we love being associated with them. They are well
respected and do great things. Like Jordano’s, we are not just in business for
ourselves, we’re in business to serve our customers.”